Pause
by Leoshi
Summary: Spike and Rarity end a long day of work by doing nothing.


**Pause**

An experiment in friendshipping.

* * *

There were just those days where you had so much to do. Days where so much was accomplished and so much still remained to be done. Days that had a few hours at the end where you could get away with doing nothing. A kind of day that, say, was full of gathering supplies and making preparations for a complicated custom order. And with the preparations complete and the last of the materials on their way, Rarity found herself in that moment with nothing left to do.

It was satisfying. She'd done everything so well, and she knew tomorrow would be just as hectic, but tonight's jobs were done. Thanks in large part to her nearby dragon friend.

"I'm pretty sure I could have nightmares about bolts of cloth right now," Spike complained, falling back on Rarity's couch.

She giggled, setting down her spectacles. "That just sounds like a good dream to me."

"Then you've got a problem."

"In that case, thank goodness I have you around to help me solve my problems," she joked, leaning over the back of the couch to look at him from the side. "Thank you so much for today, Spike. Seriously. I'd still be panicking about meeting these demands right now if it weren't for you."

"Happy to help," he said with a half-hearted wave. His arm plopped on the cushions, where he let it remain. He figured it had the right idea. "What time is it? I lost track"

With a smile, Rarity turned to a clock behind them. "A little past ten. Too late for a proper dinner."

"Oh, are you hungry?"

"Mm, a little bit, yes. _Snacky_ , as Pinkie Pie might put it."

Spike pushed himself back to his feet, shooting her a sidelong grin. "I have an idea. Stay here and relax, okay? I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, he stepped out of her work room and made his way into the hall.

He'd visited here enough times to know the layout as well as his own home, so it was no surprise when he opened one of the many storage closets and found what he was looking for: a projector. Pulling it out, he blew off a layer of dust and quickly inspected the lens. He nodded, satisfied, and pulled out a small cart from the same storage space, as well as a box of reels.

Afterward, he took the cart with him into Rarity's kitchen, gathering a large bowl. He lined the inside with foil, picked up a bag of kernels, and added them to the cart. He admired the tiny pile for a moment before tossing in a stack of napkins. _There we go,_ he thought, _a perfect preparation. Heh, just like today._

He found Rarity quietly straightening her supplies when he returned. She looked over at him, spotted the cart with her old projector and the bowl, and instantly put the pieces together. "Oh, Spike! I'd completely forgotten about that old thing! Is tonight going to be a movie night?"

"Somethin' like that," he said. Spike lifted the box of reels, holding it in one arm and poking through each roll with the other hand. "I know you don't have much in the way of actual scripted films, but I think you've got something even better in here anyway."

Rarity practically bounced over to him, excited at the prospect. "What'd you have in mind?"

"This one." Spike lifted an older reel between two claws, one worn around the edges. "An old favorite."

Wordlessly, they spent the next couple of minutes setting up a viewing screen. It ended up just being a length of white fabric suspended between two pillars made up of precariously-stacked mannequins, but it was effective. Then they split off to do different tasks: Rarity fed magical power into the projector and gave it a proper polish, while Spike poured the kernels into the foil-lined bowl and blew fire onto them until they popped. He'd gotten much better at evenly cooking them, and he noted with pride that no stray kernels were left un-popped.

They each finished with their tasks at the same time. Both Spike and Rarity shared the same tired smile. He handed the bowl off to her and loaded the reel, while she switched off the room's lights and opened a nearby curtain to let in some of the moonlight. The projector's bulb slowly but surely came to life, with the wheels on the side squealing only for a moment before they turned smoothly. The reel was fed cleanly through, and soon enough the fabric screen was washed in different colors.

Spike sat down on one end of the couch first. "I hope it's still as good as the last time I saw it."

Rarity laid longways across the couch, her hind legs pouring over the end, resting her back against his arm. "I doubt it even matters by this point, darling."

As the film reel reached its first picture, the two friends finally allowed themselves to fully unwind. What Spike had chosen wasn't really a movie, but more like an album. They watched with satisfied grins as the projector showed various moving pictures of other complicated orders, especially the events that took place while they were made. A collection of memories through the years where Rarity had received help from her friends, Spike included, in order to make good on her promises.

They sat together for a long time, laughing when appropriate but otherwise just enjoying each other's company. Rarity ate the popcorn mostly on her own but passed it along to him every now and then. She marveled at how much she still remembered the different events shown in the film, like the time she'd mistakenly ordered supplies to be delivered a week after she would have needed them. The film only showed a few moments from that time, but it was enough for her to smile. If it hadn't been for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy personally air-lifting the materials she needed, she would've never made the order on time. Not for the first time, Rarity remembered how blessed she was.

Spike, meanwhile, was having trouble keeping his eyes open. Spending the whole day with Rarity was hard work in spite of how much fun he'd had, and he would have it no other way. He thought back to his younger days when he would give anything just for her affection. Those days passed a long time ago, and now it was enough just to be a bright spot in her life.

As the reel continued from one scene to another, he gave himself over to sleep. It fell on him suddenly and silently, and he somehow knew he wouldn't be haunted by bolts of cloth after all. Rarity felt him relax beneath her, and she looked back at his dozing face with a gentle smile. In a few minutes, she knew, he'd start to snore. But this time she didn't mind if he did.

Utterly content, she set the half-eaten bowl of popcorn on the floor, then used her magic to pause the film reel before it finished. She wanted to remember _this_ moment instead.


End file.
